Taking AR beyond video games.

Traditional visual art can be a peaceful escape from the hectic, digital world, but it can also seem a little behind from our modern lives. It denies us the ability to physically interact with art and change it — a freedom we experience through playing games and manipulating applications. For digital artist Alex Mayhew, it was an opportunity to experiment.

Mayhew, along with Ian Kelso who are both co-founders of the mixed reality studio Impossible Things, have just launch a five month augmented reality installation called ReBlink that remixes historic pieces of art and updates them with modern technologies and products that drive our daily lives.

The ReBlink exhibition is on display now through December 3 at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Viewers can enjoy this AR experience by downloading the “ReBlink” app and pointing their devices at select paintings — mainly housed in the Jackman Gallery.